Waziristan accord
Encyclopedia
The Waziristan Accord was an agreement between the government of Pakistan
and tribals, resident in the Waziristan area to mutually cease hostilities in North Waziristan
(a district in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
adjacent to Afghanistan
). The agreement was signed on 5 September 2006 in the North Waziristan town of Miranshah
. The agreement effectively ended the Waziristan War
, fought between the Pakistani military
and rebels in the border region with ties to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
. However, recent attacks by the pro-Taliban militants suggest that the truce has been broken by the militants who attacked and killed 50 Pakistanis including soldiers and police.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6899621.stm The attacks are also believed to have been as a retaliation for the Lal Masjid
attacks by Pakistan Army.
Initial reports characterized the accord as an agreement with the Taliban. However, the Government of Pakistan
has strenuously denied that the Taliban were party to the accord, nor that the accord is a deal with the Taliban. News sources continue to report that the Taliban fighters exert significant and perhaps dominant control over the area, and were the main force behind the peace agreement (see Islamic Emirate of Waziristan
). Voice of America
reports, for instance, that the pact received the blessing of Mullah Omar
, the former leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
.
-based observers view the truce accord as a prelude to hot pursuit
chases of mujahideen
into Pakistan by NATO forces operating in Afghanistan. They view it as a defeat for the principle of territorial integrity of Pakistan.
Pervez Musharraf has said,"This treaty is not to deal with the Taliban. It is actually to fight the Taliban." Former Pakistan cricket
captain and leader of a political party, Imran Khan stated "Waziristan has been a disaster; there's been a disgraceful withdrawal from there. The Pakistan Army has been defeated"
:
spokesman Tony Snow
, commenting on 7 September 2006, said that Islamabad
had given the US assurances that the ceasefire accord would not undermine the hunt for Osama bin Laden
and the agreement was aimed at combating extremism.
". Additionally, it was argued that "since initiated, all of the deals have failed, precipitating a resurgence of Taliban hostilities."
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and tribals, resident in the Waziristan area to mutually cease hostilities in North Waziristan
North Waziristan
North Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Tochi river to the north and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's...
(a district in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
adjacent to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
). The agreement was signed on 5 September 2006 in the North Waziristan town of Miranshah
Miranshah
Miranshah is the capital or headquarters of North Waziristan in Pakistan. It is the site of a town, which has s small airfield that was built by the British for World War II. The area in which Miranshah sits is extremely dangerous mainly due to Taliban activities and U.S. Drone...
. The agreement effectively ended the Waziristan War
War in North-West Pakistan
The War in North-West Pakistan is an armed conflict between the Pakistan Armed Forces and armed religious groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , Lashkar-e-Islam, TSNM, Arab and Central Asian militants including Al-Qaeda, regional armed movements and elements of organized crime.The armed...
, fought between the Pakistani military
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
and rebels in the border region with ties to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. However, recent attacks by the pro-Taliban militants suggest that the truce has been broken by the militants who attacked and killed 50 Pakistanis including soldiers and police.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6899621.stm The attacks are also believed to have been as a retaliation for the Lal Masjid
Lal Masjid
The Lal Masjid is a mosque located in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. A religious school for women, the Jamia Hafsa madrasah, and a male madrasah, Jamia Faridia are attached to the mosque.-History:...
attacks by Pakistan Army.
Initial reports characterized the accord as an agreement with the Taliban. However, the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
has strenuously denied that the Taliban were party to the accord, nor that the accord is a deal with the Taliban. News sources continue to report that the Taliban fighters exert significant and perhaps dominant control over the area, and were the main force behind the peace agreement (see Islamic Emirate of Waziristan
Islamic Emirate of Waziristan
The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan is a rebel organization, in Waziristan, Pakistan that some commentators claim gained de facto recognition from the Government of Pakistan when it was named as party to the Waziristan Accord, the agreement reached between Islamabad and local tribesmen to end the...
). Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
reports, for instance, that the pact received the blessing of Mullah Omar
Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
, the former leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was founded in 1996 when the Taliban began their rule of Afghanistan and ended with their fall from power in 2001...
.
Details of the accord
The accord consists of 16 clauses and 4 sub-clauses. The major points include:- The Government agrees to stop air and ground attacks against militants in WaziristanWaziristanWaziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
. - Militants are to cease cross-border movement into and out of AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. - Foreigners (understood to mean foreign jihadists) in North Waziristan will have to leave Pakistan but "those who cannot leave will be allowed to live peacefully, respecting the law of the land and the agreement" (wording from DawnDawnDawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
newspaper article). - Area check-points and border patrols will be manned by a tribal force. Pakistan ArmyPakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
forces will withdraw from control points. - No parallel administration will be established in the area. The law of the Government shall remain in force.
- The Government agrees to follow local customs and traditions in resolving issues.
- Tribal leaders will ensure that no one attacks law enforcement personnel or damages state property.
- Tribesmen will not carry heavy weapons. Small arms are allowed.
- Militants will not enter agencies adjacent to this agency (the agency of North WaziristanNorth WaziristanNorth Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Tochi river to the north and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's...
). - Both sides will return any captured weapons, vehicles, and communication devices.
- The Government will release captured militants and will not arrest them again.
- The Government will pay compensation for property damage and deaths of innocent civilians in the area.
Mood in Pakistan
Some IslamabadIslamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
-based observers view the truce accord as a prelude to hot pursuit
Hot pursuit
In law enforcement and international law, hot pursuit can refer to:*An immediate pursuit by the police such as a car chase.*In international treaty law, laws of federal states, or other legal rules governing cross-border police operations when law enforcement officers and agents of one...
chases of mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
into Pakistan by NATO forces operating in Afghanistan. They view it as a defeat for the principle of territorial integrity of Pakistan.
Pervez Musharraf has said,"This treaty is not to deal with the Taliban. It is actually to fight the Taliban." Former Pakistan cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
captain and leader of a political party, Imran Khan stated "Waziristan has been a disaster; there's been a disgraceful withdrawal from there. The Pakistan Army has been defeated"
Comments by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said the peace accord in North Waziristan is insufficient. He commented to the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
:
"I believe this is a cardinal mistake to believe that Waziristan is the only centre of terrorist activity. I think it is [in] a lot of other places in our region and a lot of organisations and also madrassas [religious schools], that they are the centre of terrorist activity."
From the White House
White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
spokesman Tony Snow
Tony Snow
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
, commenting on 7 September 2006, said that Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
had given the US assurances that the ceasefire accord would not undermine the hunt for Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and the agreement was aimed at combating extremism.
From the Taliban
Commenting immediately after the accord, Abdullah Farhad, a local Taliban spokesman, said there were no foreign fighters in the area, and if there were, the Government should have provided evidence of their existence.Views from third parties
The deal has been severely criticized in the western press with one editorial describing it as "the terms of surrender by Pakistan to the Taliban and al Qaeda". Another column termed it as an "unconditional surrender of Waziristan" by Pakistan, adding that the deal is "a boon to the terrorists and a humiliation for the Pakistani government." Some other newspapers have commented that the deal is a "short-term defeat" that risked the wrath of its US allies to secure "long-term strategic gains"; and quoted a retired Pakistan general as saying it was a "tactical retreatWithdrawal (military)
A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
". Additionally, it was argued that "since initiated, all of the deals have failed, precipitating a resurgence of Taliban hostilities."